Prevent Odometer tampering

The study, commissioned by the TRAN Committee of the EU Parliament, examined the phenomenon of odometer tampering in the EU and proposed concrete actions to tackle it.

Despite the EU legislation has addressed the issue in the “Roadworthiness Package”, a major gap has been identified in the long timeframe occurring between the vehicle’s registration and the first Periodical Technical Inspection, as well as the lack of sufficient cooperation and data exchange on odometer readings between EU Member States (MS).

The implementation of a EU-wide data exchange system between EU MS on odometer readings could help competent authorities to detect fraudsters (as shown by the Slovakian and the Dutch bilateral cooperation, making use of the EUCARIS platform).

The study also explored the best practices developed in Belgium and the Netherlands, where the problem was nearly eradicated in the last years. In both countries the percentage of unauthorised manipulations dropped below 1%.

Furthermore, the study highlighted that odometers are still inadequately protected against cybersecurity threats. Potential IT solutions to combat the phenomenon have been suggested.